At least for the moment, it seems that Republicans are presenting a unified front in decrying the proposed Federal stimulus package currently under consideration. In fact, newly minted RNC chairman Michael Steele praised the failure of any House Republicans to vote for the package, saying that the “Goose egg was just beautiful.” So it would come as no surprise if many GOP governors, particularly those often mentioned as potential White House hopefuls, would be standing shoulder to shoulder...

Unlucky blogger has his entire life thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an African-American trash collector. Yes, this will likely be an incredible waste of your time.

The news is just filtering out that after three votes, former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele has been chosen as the new chairman of the RNC. If you happen to be a very liberal reader, I’m not saying that you’re going to fall in love with the guy, but I think that the RNC has done a fine job in this selection. Steele has stood against the wheel for election in Maryland, (not exactly a buckle in bible belt social conservatism) and authored some very scholarly work on American...

I may have witnessed a glimmer of hope for a productive, bipartisan solution to the stimulus bill quandary when Sen. Ben Nelson (D – Neb) came forward to speak about the upcoming Senate debate on the legislation. “What I’m hoping to do is bring together a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats and offer changes that will attract others and improve the bill,” he told FOX News. “People want this to succeed.” Asked how many Republicans he can get to vote for...

Today, on Mid Stream Radio, (at our new time of 10:00 am Eastern) we will be inviting some special guests from each end of the spectrum to discuss this week’s House vote on the stimulus package. The topic has certainly drawn a lot of attention and debate, so we’ll see if we can’t sort out the details for you. I’ll be joined, as always, by my lovely co-host, Cindy the Lady Logician. We’ll also be updating you on the drive to institute National Pie Week (follow that link...

Yet another group of scientists don’t think so. Still worried that the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole that will destroy the Earth when it’s finally switched on this summer? Um, well, you may have a point. Three physicists have reexamined the math surrounding the creation of microscopic black holes in the Switzerland-based LHC, the world’s largest particle collider, and determined that they won’t simply evaporate in a millisecond as had previously been predicted. Happy...

Long time readers will know that it’s a rare day indeed when I find myself agreeing with Michelle Malkin. (I’m pausing to think if I’ve ever linked to her from TMV.) But following last night’s disastrous failure by the House of Representatives to achieve any sort of bipartisan consensus on a stimulus package, I think she is correct in saying that the House version of the bill has turned into a gigantic “crap sandwich” and the Democrats own it 100%. Personally,...

Earlier this week I found myself feeling a bit peeved with Congressional Republicans when they began urging their members to vote against the upcoming stimulus bill. While I remained uncomfortable with huge amounts of tax dollars rushing out the door and a deficit which will shatter all records, I recognize that the economy is in dire straits and the people we elected to office will need to deal with it. In fact, when I heard that President Obama had gotten the Democrats to remove some sort of family...

While I understand the praise he has received for his qualifications, the more I hear about Tim Geithner, the more I wonder about the wisdom of this selection. Even leaving aside his failure to master the complexities of a computer based home tax preparation program, this report from Politico looks to raise eyebrows further. Newly minted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s finances got a recent boost, thanks to a plump $435,000 severance payment from his old employer – the Federal Reserve Bank...

I’ve long since given up on fighting the trend of having a day, week or month to commemorate everything under the sun. We have talk like a pirate day, alcohol awareness week, (do we get a discount?) and all 12 slots on the calendar are taken up for somebody’s history awareness month. (Note to Congress: my dog is still waiting for basset hound awareness month.) Anyway, if we’re going to have all of these generally pointless celebrations, it’s high time that we had one that...

Russ Feingold’s recent announcement of plans to revise the 17th amendment have brought the predictable responses about gubernatorial appointments for Senate seats. They have also tossed fuel for the fire on the old question of whether or not our process for amending the United States Constitution is too difficult. Over at The American Prospect, Dylan Matthews weighs in with his frustration over how hard it is to edit our founding documents. Responses to Russ Feingold’s proposed constitutional...

This is one of those stories which I initially hoped would just go away, but for some reason it keeps hanging around like that old set of luggage you just can’t take down to the good will store. Our new president made an off hand comment the other day, invoking the name of Right wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh. “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus...

My friend and old partner in blogging crime, Ron Beasley, has been on hiatus from Newshoggers for while, dealing with some medical issues and the forces of mother nature. Today, though, he rejoins the fold. In addition to years of incisive political and social commentary, Ron is also a skilled photographer and digital artist. This weekend he shares a photograph of a squirrel who may challenge Dramatic Hamster in online rodent angst. One possible caption from the comments. “Did I leave the gas...

It seems that New York Governor David Paterson will announce today that he is appointing second term House member Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate. No sooner had the news hit the wires than talk began about a revolt in the New York Democratic Party over Gillibrand’s blue dog credentials and support for 2nd Amendment rights. Representative Carolyn McCarthy of Long Island, a staunch supporter of gun-control laws, said in an interview Thursday that she would challenge...

It would seem that Caroline Kennedy has spared New York Governor a lot of political problems by removing herself from the equation. Who will replace Hillary Clinton now is still up in the air, but there may be some lessons to be taken from the Kenny heiress’ efforts to take the position. I examine some of these in my new column today at Pajamas Media. Caroline Kennedy: The Accidental Senator Who Wasn’t

The parties are mostly over and maintenance crews are cleaning up the streets in Washington. Since we gave the politicians and their supporters a brief break for frivolity, it’s only fair that we be allowed a few moments to observe some of the silliness surrounding the day’s events. Our first item comes from Amanda Carpenter over at Town Hall. For the record, I really like Amanda. We were just having some fun yesterday with her, in fact, during an interview on Ed Morrissey’s show....

While there are many dinners, balls and festivities to come, President Obama has been sworn into office and the White House Web page was quickly flipped over to the new administration’s needs. So many others have commented on the specifics of the new president’s speech and the surrounding activities that I will not dwell on it to excess. While Barack Obama wasn’t my first choice for president, (I was a Barr supporter) I will simply say that I thought the speech was beautifully written...

With apologies to the ladies, this story is primarily for the men. So, guys, if you’re in a relationship and your girlfriend indicates that she isn’t really all that satisfied with the, um… “physical aspect” of your union, the reason may be just what you already suspected. You don’t have a big enough… wallet. Money can’t buy you love – but it can lead to better sex, scientists say. A controversial study claims that a woman finds lovemaking more...

They were Hillary’s women, an estrogen fueled army which sought to put the first woman in the oval office. (That is to say, officially in office, rather than some nocturnal visitor bearing pizza or cigars.) They spurred the hopes of young girls everywhere while enraging huge swaths of their own party. They built the sisterhood of the traveling pant suits, very nearly succeeding in their goal, and when they fell short many swore they would vent their displeasure by putting John McCain in office....

I’m unsure whether it might be the bleak weather currently shrouding the Northeast or the fact that I watch far too much political news coverage, but this morning I’m finding myself exhausted by the emotional firestorm and soaring genuflection surrounding this Tuesday’s inaugural festivities. I get a similar sense from Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols in his article discussing how the big party is both inviting and straining comparisons to Abraham Lincoln. In ways big and small, Obama...